Tek Sing Shipwreck Cargo symbols & character Dishes c1822. Blue and White circular dishes, one painted in the well with a character symbol
and the other with a stylised basket of flowers. In 1822 the Tek Sing (True Star) a large ocean going Junk, 60 meters in length, set sail from Amoy harbour in China, bound for Batavia (now Jakarta) on the island of Java. On board were merchants, crew and 1600 passengers, bringing the total compliment close to 2000 people. The cargo holds were packed with over 300,000 pieces of porcelain, and in between and on top was stowed black and green teas, raw silk, bamboo furniture, mother of pearl tortoiseshell and medicinal herbs. About two weeks into the voyage the Captain attempted a shorter route through the treacherous Gaspar Straits. On the evening of 5 February the Tek Sing ran onto the Belvidere Roof and sank with a loss of almost 1800 lives, more than the Titanic. Its incredible cargo of porcelain, the largest and most varied ever recovered was auctioned in Stuttgart, Germany over a ten day period in November 2000. This treasure was salvaged by Captain Michael Hatcher, the most successful underwater treasure hunter of our time. He has raised a number of precious cargoes from exotic locations including the legendary Nanking cargo in 1986.